Wives of Karratos
The Wives of Karratos are zealous followers of the dark God who believe they are married to him in this life and hope to join his harem after death. No one is certain where this belief has come from but their devotion has turned them into powerful clerics of Karratos and enemies of Illeander's paladins. Many of their rituals include self-flagellation, punishment and torture. Joining the order involves years of training in which a acolyte becomes a veritable slave of her mistress and suffer years of training to finally take their vows. History This zealous order was inspired by a misinterpreted entry in an ancient text devoted to the worship of Karratos the Destroyer. It is believed that Karratos has a harem in his domain reserved for the most devout and virtuous of his female followers. Contact with men, impure thoughts involving men, and violation of his teachings can all prevent a devout female cleric from attaining her rightful place among his wives in the afterlife. The order was created more than 300 years ago by a priest who thought to create his own worldly harem of female followers. He had convinced a few that salvation for women of the temple was to devote themselves to him as the material embodiment of Karratos. He did manage to gather some followers who became nothing more than his playthings, manipulated to believe they were securing their place in the afterlife. It was several years of subservience and torture later that the "head wife" of their small enclave discovered a previously unknown entry in the holy texts. At the time it was believed that the priest had withheld the passage, but some believe it was placed there by The Destroyer himself. Head Wife Mirsela lured the priest into his chamber alone one night with the promise of a special night of pleasures. No one recorded the events of that night, though people in the temple did report and record that they heard terrible screams followed by an incredible silence when it was over. In the morning all males were expelled from that temple and none were permitted thereafter. A sort of purging followed as all of the former priest's wives devoted themselves to Karratos and punished their bodies for being defiled by a man's mortal flesh. Soon after they began taking in converts. Young girls and women who were already seeking a way out of their current lives, victims of abuse, and others that were easily manipulated into becoming part of the order. Over time a regimented recruitment and training process was developed. New acolytes were given to an experience mistress and became her veritable slave for the duration of her training. Pain was a constant in the lives of the order's members, either receiving, or inflicting, and they became a feared part of the overall temple of The Destroyer. Other orders, temples, and clerics feared the Wives and found great use for them in the art of punishment and torture. Over time it became a common tactic to threaten a visit from the Wives if someone in the temple did not toe the line. Organization of the Order The Wives of Karratos have a strict hierarchy and order is maintained at the end of a scourge. Their temple is hidden from all but their order, its location lost to time as the Wives became more insular. The Head Wive rules the temple without question, until a sister should rise up and take power, sending the former Head Wive to meet her husband in the world beyond. Sisters range out into the world to seek new converts to the worship of Karratos and devotion to their order. Junior sisters maintain the temple, and assist in rituals as well as some training tasks. The lowest rank are the new members, acolytes who are taken into the order by one of the sisters. Their duty is abject service to the sister and the order until they have been deemed worthy to ascend to junior status and take on a role as a caretaker of the rest of the order. The dynamic between sister and acolyte is a unique bond that involves a twisted form of love and hate. The sisters truly believe they are helping other women to attain the highest status one can achieve before entering the afterlife to enjoy eternity at the feet of their God. They seek women who are usually young, easily manipulated, and often seeking some drastic change in their lives. The introduction to the order is swift, brutal, and designed to teach the acolyte her place in their new family. They are all but slaves, bent to the will of their mistress for the duration of their training. Torture, physical, mental and sexual are coupled with care that often leaves an acolyte in a state between hating her mistress and loving her. When it is over, if the acolyte survives, it leaves behind a broken woman with a simmering rage buried beneath a layer of genuine care for the rest of their order. The bond is often marked by collars, piercings, scarification or tattoos marking the acolyte as the property of the mistress. So strong is the bond of love that the acolyte often keeps even the temporary signs of her servitude on her body until her death. As a junior sister the women tend to the temple, cook meals, clean, and tend the wounded. They are often in charge of arranging ceremonies that are conducted by the sisters or Head Wife. Their status of servitude has lessened but their devotion is still demanded without question. Regular visits to the temple to purge impure thoughts are the staple of their life. Sometimes, when a particularly stubborn thought or idea does not leave them they will seek the help of a former mistress to help purge it from their minds and bodies. If their devotion is deemed worthy they will attain the rank of a full sister and go out into the world to seek more to join their order. Game Notes Wives of Karratos are all clerics of the same. Few of them see much power, but those who do attain higher power as a priestess will rise through the ranks. They may even find themselves in a position to challenge the current Head Wife and take her place. When sisters travel the land they often do so openly, seeking women to help. They offer their services to repentant sinners, convincing them that all the Gods accept the penance of pain. The worship of Karratos is not illegal in most areas, but known members of the faith are watched closely. The unique services of the Wives often has them under more scrutiny from some, while others, who indulge in said services, may look the other way. The Wives are often armed with weapons that are not necessarily the most deadly, but will deliver the most pain with finesse. Scourges, whips, rods, batons and clubs are favorites of adventuring clerics. They are not impractical however, and when fighting for their lives against creatures that are beyond the flesh such as undead they will use any means required to dispatch their foes. Their dress varies by personal taste but few hide the multitude of scars that mark their flesh from head to toe. It is often the first feature noticed by anyone in the world when they travel, and well known all over Thelos as the mark of a Wife of the Destroyer.